Private Elijah
E. Richardson of Company H, 80th Indiana
Captured by Morgen's Raiders on January 1, 1863 at Columbia, Ky.
Photograph courtesy of Elijah's Great Grandson John Wineinger
Image displayed above has been electronically enhanced by Deep Vee Productions

"$50 Reward. RAN AWAY FROM JAMES
THORNBERRY of Jefferson County, TWO NEGRO MEN -- one named Cornelius, 25 years
old, about 5 feet 10 inches high, weighs about 160 pounds, very black... the
other named Bill Bachelor, a bright mulatto, about 24 years old, 5 feet 9 or
10 inches high, of pleasant countenance, weighs about 150 pounds...I will give
$50 for both, or $25 for either if delivered to me or put in the Louisville
jail."

Below are brief descriptions of the 80th's day-to-day experiences in
Kentucky during January, 1863. It is not yet known where the regiment started
the month when they were involved in the pursuit of Confederate
Cavalry led by Gen. John Hunt Morgan. This was followed by guard duty
at New Haven, Nelson County, Ky., and then a brief return to Louisville, Ky. Many of
the 80th's soldiers were still sick or wounded, and it was losing
almost two men per day due to death, discharge, resignation, or desertion. The
regiment ended the month guarding the vital Louisville & Nashville railroad near
Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Ky., just south of the present-day Fort Knox military
base.

Also included below are quotes from primary and secondary sources that are
intended to give insights into what the times, and the soldiers' lives, were like.
These quotes have been entered on the date they were written or published (unless
otherwise noted) and without changing the original grammar or spelling.
Abbreviations used on this page include: Adj.=Adjutant; Asst.=Assistant;
Capt.=Captain; Co.=Company; Col.=Colonel; Cpl.=Corporal; C.S.A.=Confederate States of America;
Dec.=December; Dept.=Department;
F&S=Field
& Staff; Gen.=General; Ind.=Indiana; Jan.=January; Ky.=Kentucky;
Lieut.=Lieutenant; mi.=miles; Maj.=Major; Mus.=Musician; Pvt.=Private;
Rd.=road; Sec.=Secretary; Sergt.=Sergeant; Surg.=Surgeon;
S.W.=southwest; U.S.=United
States; '62=1863; and '63=1863.

The 80th Indiana was formed in response to President Lincoln's call for
300,000 more volunteers for the Federal Army. The 80th left Indiana in
September, 1862, and did not return until July, 1865. During that time it
marched over 3,700 miles on foot and fought in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia, and North Carolina. Of the roughly 1,000 men who served in it, only
320 were still with the 80th when it came home.

"on the first day
of january, '63, on new ers (New Year's) day we were all captured
bye morgins kentucky Raiders. thare were 90 of us in all, sick
and nurses, Robert
M. Henery [Cpl. Robert M. Henry
of Co. H], my step brother was with me. we were all swrn
to
wRiten paroles as prsisners. next
day himand i reported to our
regment, the 80 company, H. the curnel [the 80th's
commanding officer Colonel Charles Denby]
sed he had no controle over us But he could
advise us what to doo. tolde us we could go home if we wanted
to, so we reported to govner morton [Ind. Gov. Oliver
P. Morton] n 30 dayes so we don so and
were home three weakes then we repoorted to the govner, was sent out
to the Exchange Barox (barracks) stade there all winter. In
May the 7 i was Exchanged Back to the servis went to my regment..."--Pvt. Elijah E.
Richardson Co. H, 80th Ind., from a letter he wrote
March 11, 1916 about his Civil War service. At the time of his
capture Pvt. Richardson was detached from the 80th serving as a
Nurse in an Army hospital at Columbia, Ky.

Jan. 2Friday

Morgan Breaks the Railroad.

Federal report on cavalry raid
into Ky. led by C.S.A. Gen. John Hunt Morgan in late Dec. '62."Morgan destroyed Bacon Creek and Nolin bridges
and trestle-work at Elizabethtown and Muldraugh's Hill. Will take four or five
weeks to repair damage."

Jan. 3Saturday

Died at Lebanon, Ky.Pvt. Archibald Warnock Co.
A

"I am advised that it is contemplated when the Legislature meets in this State
to pass a joint resolution acknowledging the Southern Confederacy, and urging
the States of the Northwest to dissolve all constitutional relations with the
New England States. The same thing is on foot in Illinois.--Ind. Gov. Oliver P. Morton, telegram to U.S. Sec. of War
Edward M. Stanton

Jan. 4Sunday

Jan. 5Monday

Jan. 6Tuesday

Discharged from the Army due to wounds received in action at Perryville, Ky.Pvt.
William Alford Co. DPvt. John Brewer Co. BPvt. Elisha E.
Gilley Co. D

Jan. 7Wednesday

Discharged from the Army due to
wounds received in action at Perryville, Ky.Pvt. Benedict R. Bixler Co.
FPvt. Joseph Howard Co. KPvt. George Rogers Co. F

"On Thursday night last, as Lieut. L .C. Turbett
[2nd Lieut. Lewis C. Turbett Co. I]was returning home from a party a few miles from Vincennes, Indiana, in company with his wife and another lady, the horse
attached to the buggy shied at an object on the road, throwing one of
the wheels on to a stump. As Lieut. T jumped from the buggy his
pistol fell from his belt, and striking the wheel, caused its discharge,
the ball entering the lower part of the abdomen, and death ensued in a
few hours. He belonged to the 80th Indiana Regiment."Daily
Evening Gazette newspaper, Indianapolis, Ind.

Jan. 8Thursday

Died at Louisville, Ky.Pvt. William J. Richardson Co.
H

"...there were 90 poor unfortunate men
ready to embark, and most of whom were disabled for life in the battle of
Chaplin Hills [Perryville]. Some had legs amputated, others were minus
arms...They generally appeared lively,
but what made them so? It certainly was not the ride they were about to
take in the [railroad] cars, for every joult would add to their pain.
Their future prospects in life could not produce pleasurable emotions; for being
deprived of the use of their limbs, how will they be able to obtain a
comfortable living for themselves and families? Ask them where they are
going and they will reply with a smile: "I am going home!" This
solves the problem and explains the mystery."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written while sick in Hospital No. 8, Lebanon, Ky.

Jan. 9Friday

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. Hugh Evans Co.
B

Jan. 10 Saturday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

"Without the agricultural and domestic labor
of the slaves, tens of thousands of whites, who have been and are
now in the rebel army, could not have been withdrawn from the
cultivation of the ground, and the various other pursuits requisite to supply, for that whole region, of the actual necessities of
life. Without the slaves, their numerous and extensive earth
works, fortifications, and the like, their immense transportation of
military stores and munitions, a vast amount of labor in camps and
on marches (to say nothing of the active service as soldiers, said
in many instances to have been rendered by slaves), could by no
possibility have been accomplished. The intent and design of
the proclamation [the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President
Lincoln freeing the slaves in areas in rebellion] its actual effect,
if it has its intended operation, is forever to deprive the
"enemy" of this vital, absolutely essential, and as I have
just said, indispensable, means of carrying on the war."
--Charles P. Kirkland, article in Princeton Clarion newspaper,
Princeton, Gibson County, Ind.

Jan. 11Sunday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Jan. 12Monday

Resignation Letter. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Letter of resignation by Col. Charles Denby
commanding 80th to U.S. Maj. Gen. W. Foster,
Asst. Adj. Gen., Dept. of the Ohio."I hereby tender my immediate and unconditional resignation of the position of
Colonel of the 80th Regiment Indiana Volunteers on the grounds of physical
disability. I suffer habitually in riding with a very severe cramp in my
left leg - walking affords no relief. The cramp is caused by an accident
which happened many years ago and the side effects whereof were scarcely felt by
me until after I entered the service. I have consulted various medical
advisors who uniformly say there can be no remedy. I have therefore no
recourse left but to return to a sedentary life."

Died in hospital at Jeffersonville, Ky.Pvt. John
Hunley Co. H, "leg amputation"

Jan. 13Tuesday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. Joseph W. Showse Co.
G

Jan. 14Wednesday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Died at New Haven, Ky.Pvt. John S. Cox Co.
C

Died at home in Alfordsville, Ind.Pvt. Nathaniel
McCard Co. D

Jan. 15Thursday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. Oliver Williams Co.
C

"I learned from a Ohio gentleman who has tried it, that to grind up
[army hard]
crackers in a coffee mill, mix it up and set it where it will keep a
little warm about two hours to rise, then stir in one third as much flower
alone. He says they are as light as buck wheat, and he considers them
better than buck wheat cakes. When I get to camp I must try it."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written while sick in Hospital No. 8, Lebanon, Ky.

Jan. 16Friday

New Haven. Camped at New
Haven, Ky.

Died at Lebanon, Ky.Pvt. Joseph L. Melton Co.
C, "measles"

Discharged from the Army due to
wounds received in action at Perryville, Ky.Pvt. James Harvey
Co. K

"My letters from home had so accumulated that
they nearly filled up my side coat pockets & I found it necessary to destroy
some of them...I read over these mementoes of affectionate regard, one by one,
and placed them in the stove before me to be consumed, turning my head that my
eyes might not behold the scene."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written while sick in Hospital No. 8, Lebanon, Ky.

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. William Fry Co. KPvt. William D.
May Co. EPvt. John A. Rutter Co.
F

"I now seat myself to inform you that I am yet
enjoying good health. Hoping when these lines comes to yore hand that find
you all enjoying the same... We have been under marching orders but we
haven't started yet and I don't know when we shall. We have plenty to eat
yet. We don't suffer for anything to eat."--Pvt. Daniel McDonald
Co. E, letter to his wife Julia from New Haven, Ky.

"It is worthy of remark that since I entered
the army I have not been so subject to cold[s]
as I have only been
attacked twice...last October, where I slept near a fire in a comfortable room,
and the other since I entered the hospital where the room is kept constantly
warm. Whereas on the other hand I have slept out in the open air with
insufficient covering in the rain, in frost, and in due so heavy as to wet my
blanket completely through, and would take no cold from it."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written while sick in Hospital No. 8, Lebanon, Ky.

On the Cars. Departed New
Haven, Ky. by railroad train enroute to Louisville, Ky.

Discharged from the Army due to wounds received
in action at
Perryville, Ky.Pvt. Gregory Roth Co.
F

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. Joseph Dunning Co.
G

"The stage [coach]
drove in at 1 o'clock and out stepped Dr. Jacquess
[George B. Jacquess80th Field & Staff] and Capt. Tucker [John W.
Tucker], of Company D. I had but a few minutes conversation with the Dr. as
he was going out on the 2 o'clock [railroad]
train to New Haven [Ky.]. I told him I
felt about well enough to join the regiment, but that I had hoped to be paid off
before I left here so I could get a good pair of boots, for the water ran
through the pores of my shoes and on a march or while slopping about in camp my
feet would be constantly wet...he voluntarily loaned me six dollars, for which I
gave him my due bill and many thanks. I went to the boot store and
purchased a most excellent pair of thick, water proof boots that came up to my
knees for $5.00."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen, Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written while sick in Hospital No. 1, Lebanon, Ky.

Jan. 23Friday

Louisville. Arrived at Louisville
after midnight. Marched to a campground and set up tents.

"We have left New Haven on the 22nd. We got on the [railroad
train]
cars and came here to Louisville last knight about 2 o'clock and I cant
tell where we shall go from here. We expect our pay before we leave here...
Our Cornal [Col.
Charles Denby]has resined
[resigned]and gone home and I don't no
the cause of it and our leutenent cornal
[Lt. Col.Lewis Brooks]has gone for some time but I dont know whether he is gone
for good or not... We have plenty to eat yett we have fresh pork when ever
we want it. Generly do our own buchering."--Pvt. Daniel McDonald
Co. E, letter to his parents.

"Arrived in camp [from extended hospital
duty at Perryville, Ky.]
at 8 A.M. found the boys all well."--Pvt.
John K. King Co. A, personal diary.

Jan. 27Tuesday

Taking the Cars. Left camp at 2:00
P.M. Departed
Louisville at 3:00 P.M. by railroad train bound for Elizabethtown, Ky.
Spent night on the train.

Died in hospital at Louisville, Ky.Pvt. Wilford
Miles Co. B

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. James H. Hood Co. G

Reported as a deserter.Pvt. Jacob
McMullin Co. E

"We left camp at 2 P.M. and went to the
depot. We boarded a train and were on the cars all night."--Pvt.
John K. King Co. A, personal diary.

"After reaching here we learned that our
Regiment left the city today on the 3 o'clock train for Elizabethtown, on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, with 130 men able for duty. It
is said that they are permanently detached from the Brigade, and
are ordered there to guard a bridge. The railroad has been torn up this
side of Elizabethtown [by C.S.A. cavalry raiders led by Col.
John Hunt Morgan], and is
not yet repaired, so to reach that place it will be necessary to march 13
miles."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written at Louisville, Ky.

Jan. 28Wednesday

Elizabethtown. Train unable to reach
Elizabethtown due to destruction caused by C.S.A. Cavalry. Marched 11 mi.
to Elizabethtown along Louisville & Nashville railroad track. Camped
in or near Elizabethtown, Ky.

"I met with Thos. Cook [Pvt.
Thomas J. J. Cook Co. H] to dine with his sister, Mrs. Summers, who resides in the city...John Mayo[Pvt. John
W. Mayo Co H],
James McCorkle [Pvt. James
A. McCorkle Co. H], and James Thompson
[Pvt. James Thompson Co. H], arrived here today from [Winslow in] Pike [County,
Ind.].
The two former having been parolled after battle at Perryville, and since
exchanged, and the latter who went home in November, having mashed his hand, and
went home to let it heal up. After dark it was announced that we can get
to the Regiment on the train starting early in the morning."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written at Louisville, Ky.

"I met with Captains Culbertson
[James L. CulbertsonCo. C] & Spain[Harrison M. Spain Co. E]
and Lieutenant Kimble [Jesse
C. KimballCo. A]of the
80th. They have been home and are going to Elizabethtown in company of our
squads tomorrow morning. I inquired how things looked in Indiana and,
Captain Culbertson shook his head and replied that matters there looked
"squally enough", that things looked "streeked". Can
it be possible that the rebellion is going to spread into Indiana? Heaven
forbid that the horid scenes enacted in Kentucky and Tennessee and other states
in the Union, should be re-enacted on Indiana soil!"--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written at Louisville, Ky.

Discharged from the Army due to wounds received in action at Perryville, Ky.Pvt. John Lavely Co.
B

Discharged from the Army.Pvt. Samuel Lunday Co. BPvt. William
Shoemaker Co. I

"...our Regiment is divided up in squads of one or two companies in a
place to guard the [rail]road, and is scattered along for 10 or 12 miles of the
track. Companies H. and C. are about 2 miles from town...My own opinion is
that our Regiment is so nearly "plaid out" that we will only be used
to guard bridges or something of that kind. Our 1st Lieutenant
Collins [John J.CollinsCo.
H] has
resigned and gone home. I have no idea who will be his successor nor do I
suppose we have enough men to hold an election."--Pvt. Joseph P. Glezen Co. H, 80th Ind., diary entry,
written near Elizabethtown, Ky.

"Owing to
hard service, the health of the 80th Regt., Ind. Vols. is so bad that we have
got permission to go into Convalescent Camp, and have been assigned to this
post, Elizabethtown, Hardin county, Ky., a healthy location, with good hospital
advantages, where we expect to collect all our sick."--Surg.
George D. Jaquess F&S, 80th Ind.,
public appeal for hospital stores, sent to newspapers in S.W. Ind., Jan. 31,
'63.

This page Copyright by Scott
Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created February 3, 2000. Last updated February 26,
2005.